Within Series Side Stories and Deleted Scenes
by Elizzykay
Summary: Just a bunch of short stories about what happened before the Maze, before Thomas, or during tidbits that weren't included in the first two stories (Within and What Lies Outside) - It's not necessary, I guess, to read the others, but I recommend it, and would appreciate it. (Thomas x OC)
1. Chapter 1 - First Day In The Glade

Her first actual day in the Glade was exactly as she anticipated. Alby walked her around the camp, his voice and body language serious and the other boys gawked as they passed. She couldn't necessarily blame them; from the looks of it, she was the only girl. But it was starting to irritate her. Keeping her chin lifted and her shoulders back, she tried to focus on what Alby was riddling off to her.

"We'll start you in the kitchens with Frypan," She lifted one eyebrow, meeting the older boy with an accusing stare.

He smirked back at her, rolling his eyes, "Everyone starts in the kitchens. It's a system we've created. You'll work half a day at each job and then we'll vote to see where to place you. That being said, you have an equal chance at becoming the next builder as you would doing something like cooking or laundry."

She huffed, loosening up a bit and nodded, "Let's go meet Frypan then."

000

She enjoyed cooking. And Frypan's company. He was a sweet kid, very talkative and helpful. He made sure she felt comfortable and was actually impressed when lunch came out somewhat decent.

"Not half bad." He grinned, swallowing his bite and raised a hand for her to slap.

She high-fived him happily, admiring her work and his approval.

"You can ring the dinner bell if you want." Frypan motioned towards the large upside-down cylinder hanging just to the right of the door way. Planted in the ground beneath it was a large wooden stick. Putting two and two together, she pulled the stick from the soft ground and tucked it inside the cylinder. The sound that was emitted as she twirled the stick around reverberated in her ears and echoed across the Glade. Soon boys were spilling from every direction to come stand in line. Frypan gave her the pleasure of ladling out servings to each boy before getting her own bowl and looking for a place to sit.

She assumed her and Frypan were friends enough to sit together, but was reassured when he patted the seat beside him. Other boys surrounded him, some she had seen and some she hadn't. She was familiar with Alby, for obvious reasons and Newt was a relief. Settling down at the table, she found her anxiety about the others were slowly starting to disappear. She didn't have much of a choice really. This _was_ home now.

"Gally and the others are going to start on the bonfire after lunch. He thinks they'll have it done before dinner." Newt shoveled food into his mouth, glancing up at Alby between bites.

The girl paused her own eating to shoot him a confused look, "Bonfire?"

"It's tradition. We have a bonfire for the Greenie. Kind of like a Welcome Party." Alby explained.

Frypan elbowed her excitedly, "Lots of food, Gally's special drink; It's pretty cool."

She nodded along, trying to seem enthused.

"It'll be a chance for you to meet the others. Get you acquainted," Newt continued, "By now, Greenies usually remember their name, so it's sort of a celebration of that."

She huffed, poking at her dinner, "So does that mean there's something wrong with me?"

Still not being able to remember her name was an annoyance. She could tell it was just on the tip of her tongue, like she could sputter it out at any second without hesitation. But thinking about it only gave her a headache. Adding on the fact that she was a female surrounded entirely by boys, made everything imperfection ten times worse. Remembering this, she felt the eyes on her once more.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Greenie," Alby consoled, leaning in, "It takes time."

 _Yeah, but how much time?_

000

"You'll work in the Gardens with Zart and I for the rest of the day," Newt informed her as they emptied their plates and led her away from the kitchen, "You care to get your hands dirty?"

She shrugged, sighing as she did, "Don't really have a choice do I? Because if I do, I'd rather take a nap."

Newt chuckled and shook his head, "No, I guess you don't really have a choice."

"Then I'd love to get my hands dirty." She smiled sarcastically, which he returned with an eye roll.

She liked Newt. He was easy to get along with and they seemed to share a bit of the same humor. And judging by his position amongst the other Gladers, being his friend might put her in good graces with everyone else. At least, she hoped.

000

She couldn't remember when it had gotten so hot, but her hair was going to be an irritation as it stuck to the back of her neck and forehead. Her hands were caked in dirt so there wasn't much she could do. Gardening wasn't too bad. Zart was pretty funny and the job was pretty easy. Though he had warned her that Harvest Season was ten times the work. And ten times the mess.

But somewhere in the middle of their conversation, a thought came to her head. It was vague and fuzzy, like the feeling you get when you know you've forgotten something but can't quite remember what. And then, slowly the thought manifested itself until it finally it was shouting at her in screaming color.

"Cleo." She had interrupted Zart, pulling her hands from the earth to sit up more intently.

Zart and Newt paused, eyes shifting to her confused.

"Cleo," She repeated, smiling, "My name is Cleo."

After a moment the two boys smiled back and a weight seemed to lift off her shoulders.

"Welcome to the Glade, Cleo." Newt nodded.

The moment was interrupted by a loud crash and then a high pitched squeal and the trio turned to see a small pig making a beeline for open land. A young boy chased after it, stumbling on his feet. Others joined in, herding the pig in random directions, all just too short to catch it. Newt and Zart jumped to their feet to help, and Cleo followed closely behind. She watched the pig zig zag between boys, none of which came very close to capturing it. Most ended up face first in the grass. Then Zart was involved, working with the Keeper of the Slicers -Winston, to try and wrangle the animal into a smaller space. But the pig was too quick and soon it was headed towards the forest.

That's when Cleo took off. She wasn't sure what made her want to run now, but watching the others fail to catch the pig made her antsy. She felt useless doing nothing. So she took off, quickly closing space between her and the pig. Boys shouted from around her, almost as if they were cheering but she kept her focus on the animal.

She was gaining on it, only a couple steps behind. With one big step she could easily grab him, but that turned out to be the tricky part. She had never caught a pig; therefore, she had no idea how to. She had started running with no idea what to do after.

But, it didn't matter anyway. One minute she was racing at the pig and the next she was tripping over her own feet, meeting the grass with a hollowed 'oomph' and rolling onto her back to suck in deep, labored breaths.

The boys were still shouting, now in disdain, and she could hear the pig squeal somewhere ahead of her. Taunting her, it felt like. Panting, she sat herself up.

A boy was approaching. The kid with the eyebrows. She vaguely remembered him for their first meeting yesterday when she arrived. He walked with purpose, definitely a bit full of himself and shot her a smirk.

"Nice legs." He commented as he came to stand above her.

She blinked up at him, eyebrows furrowing, "Excuse me?"

Reaching out his hand, he waited for her to take it, "I said nice legs. You're fast."

Tentatively, she took his hand, slightly surprised how easily he lifted her to her feet.

"Thanks." She quickly removed her hand, brushing off the dirt and loose grass from her shirt.

"I'm Gally." He introduced, arms crossing over his chest.

"Cleo."

Gally smirked again, thought it wasn't as hard as the first, "Cleo. Nice name. Congratulations."

She gave him a small, tight smile, unsure exactly how to respond. He seemed to cringe a bit, face flushing before his arms dropped to his sides.

"I'm, I mean- congratulations on remembering your name," He stuttered, "Not on- not on it being Cleo. Not that there is anything wrong with the name Cleo. It's a great name. It's an awesome name," He was having trouble saving himself and she was enjoying every minute, "It's just- I get the stress of not knowing, so I'm glad you aren't stressed anymore. If you even were stressed and," She smiled and he finally took a breath, "And I've made a complete idiot of myself, huh?"

"Not completely." She teased.

Gally scoffed, a little embarrassed and his eyes shifted to his feet. She bit onto her bottom lip, still enjoying how flustered the once proud and stoic boy had become. But she had little time to take it in before the metal grinding of the doors sent ice down her spine. She stiffened almost immediately, taking an involuntary step closer to him as the sound reverberated throughout the Glade.

Gally was quick to rest a hand on her arm, comforting but still uneasy, "You'll get used to it. At least a bit. It's a bit jarring at the first, I won't lie, and sometimes it still catches us off guard. But nothing bad is going to you."

Cleo kept her eyes squeezed shut, listening to the metal turn and grind against itself until it stopped, and the Glade was quiet again. Sighing, she relaxed, stepping away from him.

Gally's hand lingered on her arm for a moment before he clear his throat and shoved it into his pocket, "I should, uh, I should get back to work. I'll see you at the bonfire tonight, right?"

Cleo, relieved that the subject of her fear had been forgotten, smiled again and nodded, "Of course. I'm curious about your special drink."

Gally, who was already starting to step away, shot her a wink, "Nobody does it better."

 **I'm back! Finally! And I'm so sorry it took me forever to post something. Things came up and then more things came up, and then I completely lost all motivation to write anything and then I tried writing something and it just felt forced, but I'm back now and I'm hoping I'm back for a while. I haven't seen The Death Cure yet (I'm going Saturday) and I'm hoping that it gets the creative juices flowing even more. Thank you to everyone who has favorite and followed the first two stories and left wonderful reviews and I'm sorry again that it took so long. Love, love, love you! Xx -Kay**


	2. Chapter 2 - Almost Included Scenes

**These are a couple scenes that I thought about writing and had always had an idea for in the back of my mind but because they were pretty small, and just didn't seem to fit with where they would be placed, I left them out. The first one takes place during Within / The first film, after Gally stops Thomas from entering the maze. And the second takes place sometime between What Lies Outside / The second film, and the third film. hope you guys enjoy.**

* * *

 **Cleo confronts Gally:**

Cleo moved away from Chuck, reassuring him, she'd be back to help with the gathering in a couple minutes. He didn't have a chance to respond before she headed off in the other direction.

Gally was with the other builders in the beginning stages of building the pyre and shifted when he saw her coming.

"What the hell was that?" She demanded, stopping just short of the taller boy.

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest. She mimicked this, showing she wasn't planning on backing down.

"I'm just doing my job." He replied, nonchalantly.

She scoffed, shifting on her feet. Some days, Gally made her want to sock him in the jaw.

"Your _job_ is being a builder, not a bully."

Gally became defensive, "I saved that shank's life."

"You could have done that without tossing him across the yard. It's his second day, of course he's going to be curious."

"Why are you defending him?" Gally spat back, his eyebrow lifting once more.

"You know damn well I'd be here if you had done it to anyone else. Don't make this into something it isn't." She rolled her eyes.

Gally pursued his lip, his body remaining hostile.

"Next time I'll just let him go in. How about that? That work for you?"

Cleo huffed. This was another battle she wasn't going to win. But her shoulders fell some. She wasn't sure when their relationship became so hostile, neither one being able to say a kind thing to the other. Dropping her arms, she shook her head.

"Forget about it."

0000

 **Thomas and Cleo talk about Chuck:**

He found her away from the others, sitting with her back to them. His jacket dwarfed her some but the color brought out the blue in her eyes.

He figured this wasn't the time to be admiring her since she was scrambling to wipe away the tears that ran down her cheeks. She was startled by his arrival, it was obvious, but she also reassured that he had come over. She scooted over to make room for him, and he silently sat beside her, hand coming to wrap around her own.

"You okay?" He knew that answer. She was crying for Christ's sake, but he wasn't sure how else to start a conversation.

She sniffled a few times, composing herself and nodded, "I was just thinking and worked myself up. I'm fine."

He saw it before he could ask his next question. Chuck's carved statue sat in her other hand, wrapped tightly inside her clutched fingers. She rubbed her thumb over the face of it and another pause followed.

"He worked on this for weeks. Started about the time he arrived," She was smiling at the memory, though her voice was soft and hurt, "It helped him, I think. Kept him distracted," She sighed and looked over at him, "He was the youngest to ever come up and we had no idea what to do with him. The other boys, they were rougher with him. He was scared, like we all were, and they tried to treat him like they had each other. Things got better once they got to know him but he never really fit in," Her eyes dropped back to the piece, "I tried my best to make him feel comfortable, like he was one of us."

"He loved you." Thomas blurted out in reassurance.

She smiled and looked at him, blinking away tears, "He loved you too."

Thomas could only smile, his eyes dropping to look at their hands. He had to blink away his own tears but when she ran her thumb over his, he felt a wave of comfort.

"I promised I'd save him," He choked out, "Take him home," When he looked at her his eyes were red and his chin quivered, "I promised him."

Her heart shattered and she pulled him into her. This wasn't a side of Thomas she had ever wanted to see, but knew it was eventual. She felt angry; angry that the world had been so cruel to him. That the world had put so much on his shoulders and expected him to carry it all. Angry at herself for not doing more to help him, for not offering to help him carry this weight. She felt sad; sad that she couldn't do anything to rid him of this pain but sit with him.

All she could do was be with him, hold him until he didn't need her anymore. She didn't care if it took forever. She would stay beside him. Always.

* * *

 **Couple more things: I don't know how in order these will be. I have ideas bouncing all over the place. And if they are short like these two, I'll probably condense them into one chapter. I will give a short kind of catch up and basis so you get the idea of what you're about to read.**

 **Also, I saw The Death Cure last weekend and it was phenomenal. I mean, honestly, a great film. Everybody was fantastic in it, though none of them looked anything like teenagers. (They all looked like four course meals, lemme tell ya) but it was good and sad and funny and actiony and I've already got so many ideas for it and I'm incredibly sad that its all over.**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy! Xx**


	3. Chapter 3 - Rescuing Thomas

**This scene happens while and after Thomas and Brenda arrive at Marcus's in the second book. For my story its Chapter 9: Just Don't Die. It's a tad bit that I meant to involve and then it got too long and I left it out. So here goes.**

They walked for a long while, but at least there was something to look at. Cleo couldn't remember if she had ever seen buildings this tall before and found herself wondering what they must have looked like before all of this started. She wondered who lived in them or worked there, what their purpose was. She wondered who had the stomach to stand at the top of some of them, and if they swayed like they were now, back then. Regardless, she was a bit mesmerized by the entire thing.

It helped distract her from the things on her mind, keeping her relaxed and focused. All she could do was follow Jorge and hope it wasn't just another trap. Thomas had trusted this man, and his smaller companion, and if Thomas trusted them, she could to.

If only slightly.

An uneasy feeling settled in her gut as they neared a crowded building. She got an incredibly bad vibe off the people lounging out front, and by the slowing of his pace, knew Jorge did too. He seemed a bit confused, eyes searching the crowd with a look of uncertainty and Cleo began to lag behind. She was subconsciously looking for an escape route, something her body had picked up as a defense mechanism recently.

The building must have been pretty back in the day, the architecture rivaling that of the buildings around them. It was tall, but not nearly as tall as the ones they had seen before but seemed sturdier because of this. Large pillars created a long, covered walkway, now filled with worn couches and broken chairs. Piles of debris and old cloth mingled with garbage. The people watching her dangerously seemed to fit right in with the ruins but out of place with the character.

 _But maybe they would have,_ she thought, _maybe this was their home at one point. Maybe they had once been just as magnificent and breathtaking as the buildings surrounding them._

When they came to an abrupt stop, her guard was up once more. Eyes darting towards the boarded-up windows and heavily guarded door. Jorge was arguing with a large man, demanding they see Marcus. The situation was hostile from the beginning and Cleo was itching to get away.

She quietly began stepping backwards, leaving the others to watch the argument crescendo. Others had gathered to watch which gave her the opportunity to go unseen. Slipping back the way they came, she took an immediate left, ducking around the side of the building.

The alleyway cleared up, both from the bustle of the dilapidated city and the beating sun from above. Cleo could hear the music from inside, the walls practically shaking from the bass trembling within. She looked for any way inside.

 _He's in there._ She was sure of it.

Relief came in the form of a large metal door. The stairs leading to it were destroyed but she could still reach it. Getting it open, seemed to be a different story. She tried ramming herself against it, but her body ached with each push and soon, she was leaning against the railing, trying to steady her breathing. The music seemed to be growing louder, and now she could hear voices. Fear built up inside of her and she found her want to getting Thomas back was turning into a need.

She _needed_ to know he was okay. She _needed_ to see him. She _needed_ him to come back to her.

Pushing off the railing once more, she used all the strength she could muster to throw herself against the door. It shook with her weight but didn't budge.

"Dammit!" She punched at it like a child, huffing and puffing with anger.

"Cleo!" Newt's voice startled her, but relief soon took its place.

"He's inside. He has to be." She panted, moving as Frypan all but leapt up beside her.

He backed up as far as he could, placing an arm across Cleo, "Stay back."

With one solid hit, the door swung open, sending light into the dark building. There was a commotion of voices, people scattering away from the group now stampeding in.

Cleo found Thomas immediately. Watching him collapse to the floor. His eyes found hers, relief seemingly washing over his features before he fell into unconsciousness. She dropped to her knees, face inches from his own.

"Thomas! Thomas, can you hear me?" She was frantic; shaking his shoulders, slapping his cheeks, anything she could to get him to respond. She was unaware at the attention they had gathered, only pulling away when Minho forcibly lifted her off the ground.

"He's fine, Cleo! He's fine!" His voice was sharp, but he meant well.

The crowd of party goers around them were quickly trying to funnel out of the building. If any of them had stopped for a moment to see that the threat wasn't much of a threat at all, they might have stopped. Jorge had disappeared somewhere in the crowd when they had first arrived and was now reappearing with a terrified, and bleeding, man and Brenda following behind closely. The two men had a bit of a struggle and Jorge reveal a gun, lifting it in the air and firing once.

The man froze immediately, the rest of the crowd disappearing out the front door.

"Get me something to tie him up with," Jorge ordered with a snap of his fingers, "And open those windows," He pulled a chair out into the middle of the room, "I want to get a good look at my old friend, Marcus."

 **Hello hello hello! I'm so so so so sorry for my inactivity. It's been literally forever. I feel terrible. Things just kept happening and this story had to be pushed back for a little bit. But I'm back, though it might be a little sporadic for a while, and I'm starting the third book here soon.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has read the first two and enjoyed them, and again sorry for the lack of content. Xx**


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